Why rural students need school choice

In 2011, Arizona became the first state to adopt an ESA policy. Just over a decade later, nine states have ESAs and several others may soon follow suit.

Jason Bedrick is a research fellow in the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation. 

Fortunately, Kat’s family lives in Arizona, where they had access to Empowerment Scholarship Accounts. Kat calls them "a godsend." With an ESA, families can access state funds to pay for private school tuition, tutoring, textbooks, online courses, special needs therapy, and numerous other educational expenses.

In 2011, Arizona became the first state to adopt an ESA policy. Just over a decade later, nine states have ESAs and several others – including Idaho, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas – may soon follow suit.